Divided
by sacasim
Summary: When Damon killed Faith, he didn't expect her to buy him a drink, neither did he expect to get roped into becoming her associate. AU from S2E12
1. Chapter 1

A surge of wind sprinted along the dark road, rustling invisible leaves in its wake, gathering the scent of freshly drizzled rain up into the noses of the two beings statically staring at each other.

"I don't want trouble" she whispered, looking towards her car and surveying the road.

"Neither do I, but all I've got is trouble." He muttered. He swayed on the spot, taking another swing from his flask gesturing it towards her. Her heart sunk as she realised that she could no longer fight the feeling of impending doom that had been following her for the past day.

She felt herself inwardly drawing away from him, as it became very clear that he was wasted, and even more so that he needed to be in control. Faith watched him from her spot not even flinching when he placed his hands on her shoulder, wincing slightly at the hollow laugh he let out when he she told him her name was Faith.

"Well Faith, I have a big secret...one that I've never said out loud". She felt a sense of unease set through her as she watched him become more confident with his words, yet a nervousness crept into his eyes as he prepared himself. Still unmoving, she held a breath.

"What's the point? It's not gonna change anything! It's not gonna make me good, make me adopt a puppy. I can't be what other people want me to be. What _she_ wants me to be." He squeezed her shoulders tighter, and he loosened his grip on her for a moment, waiting for her reaction.

Faith stared, watching his eyes crease as she realised just who she was standing in front of, his story folding out clear in front of her, like a map.

_Vampire._

For a moment there was nothing just their breaths beating out the silence, a breeze blew between them, sending stray strands of her hair into his face, and he inhaled, letting out a primal growl.

"Are you going to kill me?" she whispered, squinting at him. The sky shuddered as it waited for his answer, and once again Faith found herself eyes wide in baited breath.

"I'm not sure. Because you're my existential crisis..." he slowly moved his hand so he held her head in his hands and rubbed her cheeks. He slowly lowered his face so that they were at eye level, her dark eyes locking with his light blue. "Do I kill you or do I not kill you?"

"Don't..."

_This is beginning to feel like the dog wants her bones, saved._

"But I have to, Faith. Because I'm not human, and I miss it." He began to back away, still holding tightly onto her. She looked at him, confused. "I miss it more than anything in the world. _That_ is my secret. But there's only so much hurt a man can take."

He let her go; she looked at him surprised for a moment before murmuring a thank you. Faith began to walk briskly back to her car, keeping her head down. She thought about running but hadn't wanted to give him a reason to drag her back, then again, she mused, the longer she was in his vicinity the more likely it was that he would.

Faith was more confused by the situation, the fact that she had let it get this far, she could have stopped it yet she hadn't.

Another breeze passed by just as she opened her car and Faith felt her heart stop, as she heard him take a deep breath, but she couldn't bring herself to look up. Before she had time to place her foot in the car, the door had been slammed shut and she was pressed against it.

They stared at each other for a moment, both wondering if it was worth the energy for her to do what was planned next. She screamed; as she took in a breath he nuzzled his nose against her neck, and just as her second scream finished she felt it. It was a sharp pain, like a knife stabbing into her neck, making her limp.

"Why?" she choked, still beating on his back, almost as if he hadn't explained it to her.

But the question she asked wasn't the same as the one he had previously answered.

Her breathing slowly became shallow as he drank more and more of her blood. He detached himself from her neck and she fell to the floor, looking up at him. Her vision became blurry and began to dim, just as she recognised a quick yet deep look of regret pass through his eyes.

"Because you are my existential crisis"

_Never you mind, Death professor._

Damon swirled the contents of his glass, and slowly drank it.

The Grill, like Mystic Falls, had gotten eerily quiet in the past week. Stefan and Elena weren't talking to him again; they had somehow connected him to another disappearance. His thoughts drifted to how his last victim hadn't yet been reported, so he had taken the rap to avoid repeating the conversation.

As he was about to call it a night, a dark glass was placed opposite him as a eerily familiar presence made itself known; one that had been in his company for no more than 10 minutes before it had drifted from his mind.

Damon wasn't at his normal place at The Grill, today he sat at the back on a rounded table for two, further away from the bar than he normally preferred. The seat opposite became filled, just as the eerie almost unsettling feeling intensified then disappeared.

He looked and wasn't all to taken aback by what he saw. A young woman sat in front of him her face the model of the perfect poker face; full lips in a neutral line, dark eyes staring unflinchingly back, nose set and almost chocolate coloured skin sheen free. Her air of seriousness slightly intensified by dark hair tied in a loose bun, "Hello".

Damon was suddenly was very annoyed, wishing that he hadn't finished his last drink so quickly. He was surprised when she slid her own glass towards him. Faith watched the stony expression on his face and let out a sigh.

"It's Bourbon" he held it up sniffing it, well _duh_.

He didn't need her to tell him that, it was _his_ drink, what he needed to know if there was Vervain in it, Damon looked at her for a moment before taking a gulp. There wasn't.

Faith let out a breath. "I am going to cut this whole 'who, what, why' thing short." she paused to see if Damon was following. "I know what you are, and what you are capable of and I'm not telling anyone." He irked an eyebrow at her and she continued. "I didn't die because I couldn't, and if you attempt to kill me again you'll get the same result. So I suggest you don't waste your time."

"Your point is?" he huffed. She seemed relieved and locked eyes with him.

"I need an associate"

"And I need-"

"Someone to help me settle in, and I was wondering if you would be that person" she supplied.

Damon was suddenly disinterested in the conversation; he was more interested in tasty dates, not scheduled meetings.

"No" a flash of determination crossed her face.

"Please?" she tentatively leaned in closer to him. "You may not believe it but, I think you might be a good guy" Damon choked on his drink and looked up at her. Suppressing a laugh, he finished the drink.

"You don't get it, do you? I may not have killed you, but I drank from you and snapped your little neck. I may not have succeeded, but I tried" relishing in her silence he shook his head at her and left, leaving Faith at the table, fingers drumming on its worn surface.

Damon Salvatore, a good guy?

Was she on crack?

The idea alone had gotten him to try and kill Faith in the first place, it was a shame she hadn't died. However, he was somewhat relived that she hadn't died, but her revelation that she wasn't going to leave, let alone die, put things on another level.

Damon let out a sigh as he turned round to face Faith; he checked the road to see if anyone was around.

"Ta da-"before she could finish her sentence she found herself backed up against a wall, Damon's hand wrapped tightly around her neck.

"Okay, you might not be good but you're not the freaking incarnate!" She choked out.

He stared at her for a moment, and she stared back at him, determined and ready to verbally spar with him if her mission required it. His grip on her neck tightened. This time however, she did not choke, but slowly removed his hand from her neck, sending him a bored look. He couldn't help being reminded of Katherine it was one of her trademark mannerism... until she opened her mouth.

"I'm not asking you to change, just to help me. You and I both know that we could do this all night, but we also know that there's an easy solution to this." Faith was a voice of reason.

"Why?"

"Because I need someone to help me get to grips with this town and you need help." She looked at him, almost accusingly. "Don't act like you don't, because we both know you do." Damon thought of Elena and wondered for a moment if she knew something, he decided that even if she didn't Faith seemed the type to help anyway. "So, is it a yes or a no?"

"Yes. Damon." Faith looked up him confused, "if I'm going to be your 'associate' then you should probably know my name"

"Oh"

_This is beginning to feel like the dawn of the luz of forever._

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><p><strong>AN:<strong>Thank you for reading, please review if you can. I would like to thank Naishu (my beta) for all the tweaks she made. I should hopefully update in the next week. Oh! The song used is DLZ by TV on The Radio, the same song used for the scene originally in the episode when it aired.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Hello again, sorry for the delay with the storyI have been trying to make it as perfect as possible. If you have any suggestions for the plot feel free to message me or review :) Thanks again to my amazing beta Naishu (seriously, read her stuff its amazing) for all the grammer checks she did. I hope you enjoy the chapter.

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><p>Damon slid the drink over to Faith, who sniffed it and handed it back to him.<p>

'I don't drink,' Damon gave her a look before finishing it himself, almost as if they hadn't had the same conversation for the past two nights. Of course, he was usually gone by that time.

He pointed at the glass and gave a thumbs up, and Faith found herself nodding at him once again.

Damon really hadn't been a good associate so far. Maybe she hadn't been clear about what exactly she needed for him to do as her associate...what she had wanted him to do. He had been keeping her hidden, and she had needed an ally in the town who would drop her name and make the town aware of her presence.

Damon nudged her and she turned to him, shocked by the contact. The last time he had touched her he had been attempting to kill her... again.

Ms. Lockwood sauntered into the bar, throwing a considerate look at Damon as she approached the bartender. Faith checked her watch. 'On time, doesn't this woman have anything else to do?' Faith found herself mimicking the ex-mayor wife's order 'A small martini please'. She looked at Damon and picked up her bag, giving him a slap on the back and standing from her seat.

'Well, I'm off!' Damon gave her a perplexed look and she smiled at him. He raised an eyebrow, and she let out a sigh. 'I have to go to work'

Damon tilted his head, looking at his watch. 'At this time? What do you do?' he eyed her wearily as she hugged her trench and shook her head. If Faith was a fool, she would have thought that he wanted her to stay.

'That's something you will hopefully never have to find out...' Damon opened his mouth to argue with her, but she held a finger up and headed for the exit, still shaking her head. A small smile crept onto her lips.

Faith stepping out into the nights air releasing a breath as she did so, she turned round the corner. Her face dropped when she came face to face with a long haired brunette with a terrifyingly serious expression on her young face, instantly dampening her mood.

'Are you alright?' Faith asked.

'Faith, you need to stay away from Damon...he's bad news.' Faith looked at the girl, wide eyed. Upon further inspection she realised that she was a teenager. Faith couldn't help but feel slightly freaked out that this anonymous girl knew her name, that she had an advantage over her.

'Excuse me?'

'Faith, I mean this in your best interest; you don't know what you're getting yourself into. **He's** bad news.'

'Yeah... what's your name?'

'Elena' Now they were even.

'Elena trust me, I know a lot more about Damon than you may think, but thank you very much for your warning.' Elena nodded unsurely and Faith walked around her, however Elena wasn't going to give up so easily.

'Faith, you don't know! He'll hurt you, he isn't normal' Elena said quietly, her eyes even more serious than before.

'Elena, none of us are normal. Thank-you very much for your warning, but I'm late for work' Faith dug her hand into her pocket and handed Elena her card. 'If you want to give me another warning we can meet up, but right now I need to go, sorry that I couldn't talk for longer. Bye.'

Elena watched Faith walked away and let out a sigh, gesturing for Stefan to reveal himself. He instantly wrapped his arms around her, Elena instantly relaxing at his touch.

'It's alright, she'll see soon'

'But he killed someone Stefan-again! He's reckless!'

'I know!' He said. Elena let out a frustrated groan, annoyed at how cautious she now felt around Damon; how he made her worry for those she loved and cared for, even those she didn't know. She felt even more surprised that she no longer could tell him her concerns directly.

Stefan simply held her, his hands weaving themselves into her hair before they both stepped into the Grill. It didn't take them long to find Damon, already starting to doze against the table. Stefan pulled him up just as his was about to fall into it.

'We need to talk' Stefan stated. Stefan and Elena both took seats at the table with Damon, who let out a groan.

'About what?'

'Faith.' Stefan stated.

'Faith...' Damon drawled. His eyebrow raised as he repeated the word, did they honestly believe that he needed religion.

Elena leaned towards Damon. 'Leave her alone' she said quietly. Damon felt something inside him gear up, and before he had even thought of doing it, he smirked.

'Faith came to me...she needed an associate.' He made quotation marks in the air as he did so, enjoying the look of confusion on their faces.

'A what?'

'An associate. If you don't understand what that means, I will be happy to help you find it in a dictionary.' He stood. 'Goodbye...' smiling at Stefan and Elena, he left.

Faith signed the last of the paperwork on her desk and let out a sigh of relief. It had been about three hours since she'd left Damon in the bar, and since then she'd been up to her neck in paperwork. Rachel dropped another stack of paperwork on her desk and Faith let out a groan, so much for finished. Rachel simply chuckled, tossing her blonde hair to the side and taking her seat next to her.

'The many perks of the night shift' Faith muttered.

'Tell me about it' Rachel agreed, tying her hair into a high bun. They simultaneously let out a groan when they realised they weren't even halfway through their shift. Long working hours were good conditions for making friends though, which Faith and Rachel were.

'So how was today's meeting?' Rachel asked. Faith raised an eyebrow at her.

'It was the same, as the other two, slow' she replied.

'Are you sure you don't like him? If you want someone to show you around I can...' Rachel implied.

'I don't like him like that...maybe we could be friends.' Faith's thoughts flashed back to Damon biting into her, and she absentmindedly rubbed her neck. 'Trust me I don't, it's just...he knows things' Faith turned to Rachel, who simply shrugged her shoulders.

'You know, when I decided to become an ER nurse, I thought I would be busy' Rachel muttered.

'I prefer paediatrics. When I booked my ER experience, I expected a scene from-!' the banging of doors jolted both of them from their calm states! In a flash they were up on their feet and running from behind the desk to meet the only people for the night. Mystic falls was such a small town, especially on a Wednesday, so they hadn't been expecting anyone really.

Faith and Rachel came face to face with a surprisingly sober Damon, another man, and an obviously pained Elena. Rachel quickly moved Elena into one of the open rooms to tend to her arm, leaving Stefan, Damon, and Faith to stare at each other.

'So, this is your job?' Damon asked. Faith didn't have a chance to reply.

'Dr Freeman...eh?' He mused, reading of her name badge. Faith smiled and held a finger at Damon, before entering Elena's room.

'Well well, we meet twice in one night.' Faith mused as she examined Elena's arm, making sure that she put as little pressure as possible on it. Elena winced as Faith set it down. 'Well, it's a fracture; so you will need a cast'.

Stefan rubbed his chin 'How long will the cast be on for?' he pointedly asked.

'About 6 weeks' they both let out a groan, and Faith groaned along with them, smiling as she took Elena's details. Damon briskly walked in and took a seat on the bed with Elena. 'Excuse me Elena, but what exactly happened for your injury to occur?' Faith asked.

Elena seemed nervous before tugging out a small smile.

'A bookcase fell on me' She said, pulling out whatever came to mind first. Faith nodded, suppressing a smile and noticing how Stefan and Damon both winced as they once again looked at Elena.

'Oh, I see...' Faith ripped out the prescription form that she'd been scribbling on and handed it Elena, looking between Stefan and Damon. She once again checked over Elena's arm and nodded to herself 'I just wanted to be sure. I've prescribed some painkillers to numb the pain and I will leave Nurse Raphael to set your cast.' She nodded at them and headed out as Rachel walked in with a casting set.

Faith found her way back to her desk and threw her clipboard on it, jumping slightly when she saw Damon leaning over at the desk, invading her personal space. She leaned back and smiled at him.

'So Dr. Freeman, this is your job?' he repeated.

'I hoped you would never have to find out, but yes.'

'Why?'

'Well, most people only find out when I tell them and since I didn't plan on telling you, the only way you could find out is through injury' she paused for a moment 'but, at least she'll be fine.'

'But why didn't you plan on telling me?' Faith shifted in her spot thought before answering.

'Honestly?' Damon nodded, suddenly curious. 'Because I don't trust you enough, its very obvious that you may _try_ and kill me again' she whispered, her honesty surprising even herself.

An awkward silence eased through them, the same one that they had experienced over their 'associate' meetings. 'So, who's the guy in there with Elena?'

Damon stood back when he heard her refer directly to Elena. 'Wait, how do you know Elena?'

Faith shifted uncomfortably in her seat 'I mether on my way to work. So who's the guy?'

'My brother, Stefan' his name rang a bell...

'Oh, so he's a...' she made a fang face and he nodded. Faith watched Damon for a moment, astounded that he had actually told her who his brother was. She looked away and began filling out the paper work for Elena just as she stepped out of the cubicle, followed closely by Stefan.

In a flash Damon was by Stefan and Elena's side. They awkwardly smiled before walking out of the ward, followed by Damon who gave an even more awkward salute. Faith watched them leave, letting out a breath she hadn't even realised she had been holding.

She found herself walking briskly to her locker, her fingers punching furiously on her phone. She calmed down as she heard another voice on the other end.

'Alexis?'

'Yeah...'

'Alex?'

'You're still calling me, and I'm still on the line...'

'Do you know a Stefan or Elena at school?'

'Yeah, they're in my home room'

'Ok hun, stay away from them'

'But why-'

She closed the phone. Better not to argue this time.

Faith closed her eyes and let her head roll back for a second as she let out a cool breath. Things could never be simple. She sunk to the floor, letting out another groan as she realised that Alexis wasn't safe anymore, and that things had gotten a lot more complicated than she had anticipated. Nothing was going to change that.

She heard a soft knock on the door and looked up to see Rachel, a worried look on her face.

'Are you alright?'

'Yeah, I'm fine' She replied. Rachel instantly perked up.

'So, was that Damon?'

'The guy in black was'

'He's cute, kinda dangerous looking'

Faith let out a low chuckle. _You have no idea._


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Freaky heck this took a while to write, I kept on editing it and editing because this one and the next 3 that follow are key to the story and understanding Faith as a character as well as developing the plot and relationships of the story. Please review all advice will be appreciated. I hope you enjoy :)

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><p>Faith dragged herself through the door heading straight to kitchen, discarding her keys as she did so and retying her hair into its bun. Throwing a series of bowls and a selection of cereals on the table she set out breakfast.<p>

"Alex!"

A teenage girl bounded down the stairs and sat at the table beaming up at Faith who gave her a bewildered look before slumping into her own chair, drained from just having watched her energetic leaps into the kitchen.

"Someone's excited about the party tonight..."

"I am!" Alexis beamed, her light eyes narrowing slightly in concentration as she poured herself a bowl of cereal. Faith continued to watch her for a moment, proud that Alexis was already starting to feel comfortable in the town considering Mystic Falls was such a change to the hustle of Los Angeles.

Although Alexis hadn't been resistant in moving to Mystic Falls she had left behind a group of friends, and admittedly a flourishing high school position as class president, cheerleader and glee member. Faith let out a sigh, high school was tough enough without having to start a new school half way through the year.

"So, how was your shift? Blood and gore galore?" Alexis asked turning to Faith, the light from the open window fell on Alexis catching the auburn tone to her dark hair, making it stand out against her pecan skin.

Faith looked Alexis directly in the Faith, "First, being a doctor is not about 'blood and gore galore' I am treating people. Second, no there were just a few broken bones here and there... someone got bottled, that was interesting but nothing like New York".

Faith missed New York; she missed the vibe of the city of always knowing that there was something to do New York City never slept, whereas Mystic Falls had a curfew. Mystic Falls also had a supernatural infestation problem.

"What's wrong?" Alexis asked, her voice dropping its cheery tone.

"Nothing, just be careful tonight. You know, have fun... but not too much fun."

"Please! I get the idea! I don't need a sex talk!" Alexis bent her head over her bowl "especially from you..." she mumbled.

Faith narrowed her eyes at Alexis, slightly offended she continued "Gee, thanks. I'm just saying be careful, remember _everything_ I've told you."

"Everything?"

Alexis face adopted a blank expression as she let the weight of the word sink through; slowly realising that Faith believed that tonight was a night to be prepared against the things that went bump in the night. That Faith had been completely serious when she had stated the Mystic Falls was in fact a mystical town... well, mystical hadn't been the phrase she had coined, more like a living nightmare.

For a moment she reconsidered her choice of coming to Mystic Falls instead of to China with her parents.

"Honey, are you alright? If you don't want to be here, you can go home early" Alexis shook her head and took a spoonful of her cereal, avoiding Faith's gaze.

"No, I want to stay. I need this." Everyone in their family had, had at least one run in of the supernatural kind and Alexis was hoping to get hers out of the way. Faith nodded at Alexis offering her a small smile, before putting both their bowls away.

"Alexis, for my peace of mind who invited you to the party?" the teenager turned around quickly, shocked at the use of her full name. It was rarely used by her family even rarer to hear from Faith, telling her that now was not a moment to lie.

"Bonnie, from my English class" Faith smiled at her, relieved that it hadn't been Stefan or Elena; she passed Alexis her packed lunch.

"Still in the woods right?" Alexis nodded before quickly heading out the door, neither of them deciding to voice the small feeling of unease rising through them both.

Of all the places to hold a party Alexis could not understand why the Tyler Lockwood had chosen the woods, especially when the soil was making her shoes dirty. She moved through the party, smiling at the few people she recognised as she did so all the while taking special care as to where she placed her feet.

Bonnie had left her pretty much left her as soon as they arrived, although Alexis was slightly peeved off she had to admit she would have done the same. Yet that didn't stop the fact that she had been relying on Bonnie to introduce her to new people. Considering that she had only been a student for 2 weeks and knew barely anyone, maybe the party wasn't the best environment to be in...

Alexis had to admit the Mystic Falls crowd did try hard when it came to social gathering, although they weren't to the scale or style she was used to in L.A. It would have to do. On her 5th tortilla chip she became almost painstakingly aware that she was being watched turning round, her kohl lined eyes rested on a couple who quickly averted their gaze. _Bingo._

Alexis walked slowly towards them recognising the pair as Stefan and Elena, who Bonnie had already introduced her to on her first day, not that she had seen them again. The closer she got to them, the more their gazes bore into her, and the louder Faith's warning of Stefan and Elena rang throughout her mind. A small smile curved onto her mouth as a rush of adrenaline ran through her, and she stubbornly let her feet lead her towards them.

Alexis let out a sigh as she reached them, rubbing her hands on her jeans.

"Hi, I'm Alexis but most people call me Alex" the pair looked taken aback for a second and seemed to share a meaningful look between them, before turning back to face her.

"Yeah, you're a friend of Bonnie's right? I'm Elena and this is my boyfriend, Stefan" he made an almost salute motion at Alexis which she returned. Looking at the pair now, they seemed like your average Faith obviously had been overreacting with her avid warning of the pair; they seemed harmless enough.

"So, how about Mr. Saltzman?" the two became extremely attentive, almost watching to see if was about to reveal an intense secret "he has to be, by far the coolest history teacher I've ever had" they immediately lost interest and Alexis stifled a groan.

"Yeah, he's pretty cool" Stefan agreed. Alexis didn't know what is was but hearing Stefan say 'cool' was one of the most peculiar things that she had witnessed in a while, something about the word didn't suit him like when a female celebrity said 'Dope'.

"Bonnie!" The dark haired teen smiled at them before quickly making her way through the crowd until she reached Elena greeting her with a hug, an action Alexis and Stefan watched awkwardly.

"Sorry I kind of left you; I thought no better way to socialise than right in the deep end."

Alexis raised a shaped eyebrow at Bonnie's blunt honesty and attempt to cover up her disappearance.

"It's cool, it was a little awkward though, like being a freshman again" she laughed nervously for a moment, beaming when she realised the other had laughed along with her.

Fresh from the high of having eased the tension she suggested a walk considering that the party was now entering the sloppy stage; those left were either hooking up or starting to look a little queasy.

They walked until the party was just a quiet murmur, providing a humming background to their conversation. Alexis wasn't sure how it had happened but she was pretty sure in those few minutes, she had made some solid friends. It wasn't until she could no longer hear the party though that she considered how far they had actually walked.

The four of stood for a moment in the forest, small traces of moonlight forcing its way through the leaves, in slight awe of the natural beauty of the night. Until the distinct sound of a branch snapping enveloped their ears, the four of them quickly swung their heads in the direction of the sound.

'Maybe we should think about-' Alexis suggested, her sentence hung dead in the air when she noticed all attention was on Stefan, who had suddenly became very alert pushing Elena behind him protectively. Bonnie and Stefan held a meaningful glance before they began shuffling slowly back towards the party, Elena protectively between them.

Alexis eyed the two of them for a moment, standing slightly offside from their small ring of protection. She could not completely understanding why these people never actually communicated anything profound verbally, with them it was all glances and long silences and being completely obvious about what was of value between them.

Another branch snapped.

All of their heads jerked towards the sound, Alexis let out a small squeal, earning disgusted looks from Stefan, Elena and Bonnie.

Bonnie and Stefan moved again, this time putting both Elena and Alexis behind them, as a man emerged from the forest. He strode forward with an almost graceful movement, stealthy yet powerful, leaving large dents in the soil as he did so, pronouncing, embracing that he was not normal.

Alexis couldn't explain it, but looking at this man, she knew.

_Vampire..._

Her hunch was only confirmed as dark veins began to protrude around his eyes and he opened his mouth to reveal a long set of slightly yellow teeth.

"Bring both the girls forward"

Elena looked to Alexis, both of them raising an eyebrow at his choice of words, _both_ of them? They immediately stepped back.

Stefan elongated each syllable as he spoke, stressing his concern and making it clear that he was not about to back down. "Who are you?"

Alexis shifted uncomfortably in her spot, silently cursing herself for not having listened to Faith's warning. In hindsight, it wasn't a hard instruction to follow, but the psychotic vampire standing before her probably would have found her anyway.

Then again... she was a teenager this was the time to make mistakes, if she lived through it. Alexis nodded her head, agreeing with herself only stopping when she realised Elena was giving her a bemused look.

Alexis observed the vampire, thoroughly confused; for some strange reason she honestly believed that all vampires would be astonishingly attractive due to her slight interest in Twilight and True Blood.

Yet the vampire that stood before her was a painstakingly normal looking when he wasn't moving; blonde hair, odd ears... if anything unappealing. Yet every fibre of her body, now that she knew what he was, wanted her to run away from him but what scared her was she wouldn't have even had inkling had she passed him on the street.

"Pass me the 2 girls." Faith and Elena again stepped back as Stefan moved forward.

Alexis had been looking so intently at the vampire ahead of her that that she had forgotten Bonnie was in front of her. Until Bonnie shot out a hand, and she began to stare and mutter furiously at the vampire, outstretched hand tensing as the vampire doubled over in pain.

Their relief however was short-lived when a he let out a low cackle, quickly standing up, he began to stride towards Bonnie.

Stefan stepped in front fangs bared, barely having time to perfect his stance, as the young vampire threw himself at the brown haired vampire the two began to fight.

"Run!"

Alexis didn't needed to be told twice, she had already began dragging Bonnie and Elena away from the scene the moment the 2 vampires had began to fight, tugging extra hard on Elena who was reluctant to leave Stefan.

Alexis wasn't sure how long they ran for, but she couldn't help the shriek that ripped its way from her chest as she was lunged forward and everything went black.

Faith awoke with a gasp, her eyes flying open, ragged breaths beating out the silence of her home.

For a few moments she lay confused until she sprung up from the floor, her thoughts wild with only one consistent train of thought, Alexis. She stopped short of her hurried pacing, letting out a groan.

_That girl._

She was suddenly filled with a sense of urgency. There wasn't enough oxygen, as she thought of Alexis and the looming sense of doom that she had felt when Alexis had mentioned the party.

_Alexis's rebellious nature... _

Digging into the pocket of her jeans she rang Alexis, giving up after being directed to voicemail 10 times.

In a second the engine was revving in her car.

Faith ran through the woods, the soil weakening underneath her feet as the trees seemingly parted for her. Her breathing became more sporadic as her fear over Alexis's whereabouts heightened. She let out a suppressed breath, her feet grinding to a halt as the trees parted to an open plane.

Faith held out her flash light through the trees, from one end to the other, her hand freezing when she spotted a figure in the middle of the clearing.

Damon stood in the middle, a morose look on his face, one that Faith had become all too familiar with. Letting out a groan she shone the light onto his face, whacking up the intensity so that he winced; the two of them stared at each other for a moment.

"Move the light" he muttered, Faith held it for a moment before moving it.

"A please would have been nice" he gave her a sour smile, and Faith couldn't help but send a look of distain his way "What are you doing here?".

"Dancing with pixies, you?"

An awkward silence ensued, until a low groan came from the bottom of the tree on the far right. Damon was instantly at the tree helping up a choking Stefan, Faith wrenching out the various branches that had been impaled into his chest. Stefan sucked in air as the last branch was removed.

"Where is she?"

Stefan looked confused, his hand slowly patting his chest making sure that he had healed completely.

"Who-" Damon started, Faith quickly silenced him with a raised hand as Stefan stared to speak, turning away from the glare Damon sent her way.

"Alexis?" Faith nodded eagerly. "She came to the party with Bonnie, I told her to stay close but, they had to run. She must have been taken with Bonnie and Elena" he croaked.

Damon watched as Faith's expression earnest expression slowly turned down, as she pressed her full lips into a thin line. Her look was sombre as she turned back to face Damon and Stefan, giving Stefan a once over as she did so, she let out a sigh.

"Are you alright?"

'Yeah, I'll just be a little weak for a while but I'll be fine' Stefan replied, his words strained and gaze cast downwards, he looked at his blood stained shirt. Faith watched him for a few moments, her gaze considerate as she offered a hand to him.

"Good, you will need all your strength for when we find them" Faith stated.

Damon had said "No". He had made it clear that he had no plans in working with Faith stating that it was best he went alone with Stefan, ignoring that Stefan was still tired from his previous altercation with the vampire despite his attempts to hide it.

Stefan instead had followed Faith, falling into her stride and leaving no option but for Damon to do the same.

The drive was stiff with Damon's obtuse ego bruised, not that he had made any attempt to hide it. Stefan had filled Faith in on the details of what had happened in the last moments he had been with the 3 girls. They were alive Faith was hoping, kidnapped but alive.

"You would have put up more of a fight if you weren't always feeding from the wildlife"

She turned the car into the drive way that lead towards a cabin with a white door, with some plants placed beside it. The area was familiar to the brothers, especially Stefan who had been with Elena on a trip to her family's cabin earlier in the month.

They were just on the edge of town, at an almost picturesque landscape had there been light outside. Faith quickly rushed to the door, yet the Salvatore's both stopped short waiting to be invited in, earning an annoyed look from Faith who simply jerked her head, obviously motioning for them to enter.

She didn't bother to repeat herself; instead she silently dared them spreading her arms across the threshold. The brothers stepped over the threshold, Damon looking over his shoulder as he walked in.

"I'll be right back" Faith headed up the stairs "now that you're in, please make yourselves at home."

Stefan and Damon slowly crept through the cabin, their eyes sweeping over the clean cream and warm red tones of the home.

Damon led himself through the kitchen, dining room, sitting room until he found himself staring across an open field, his eyes stopping at the lake that ran across back of the cabin connecting it to the rest. Stefan joined him, both of them taking in one of the few views in Mystic Falls that had managed to remain the same.

"See anything you like?" Faith stated from behind them, a familiar pair of black glasses perched on her nose.

She moved into the living room, dropping herself and a collection of leather bound books onto the sofa next to her; she rummaged through them flicking through each book before tossing it to the side. Until she let out a sigh, obviously finding what she had been looking for, and began punching in numbers into the telephone.

Stefan looked to Damon "Do you think she can be trusted?"

"Honestly? She's weird, we should kill her, like really..." his face stretched into a smile, whilst Stefan looked blankly at his brother, he honestly didn't know why he had expected him to say yes...

"Make it a group effort even get the witch involved, I could do the honours" Damon whispered, looking at Faith, she glared at him before turning away.

Letting out a long sigh Stefan decided to change the topic of conversation "Who do you think she's on the phone to?"

"So they are being held in an abandoned warehouse on the side of town" Damon recapped, Faith nodded "that your friend, Stephanie was able to track for you... because she is a witch" he continued his tone borderline sarcastic, Faith didn't even bother to reassure him.

"So, what's the plan for when we get there?" asked Stefan, Faith only grunted in reply, her eyes intently on the road as she continued to increase the speed of the car.

"Get in, get them and get out" Damon raised an eyebrow waiting for Faith reaction; she simply nodded flashing a pained smile before once again stepping on the gas.

Although the brothers didn't mention it, considering her heart was the only one beating between them they could hear her nerves concerning the 3 girls pounding quickly in her chest.

Faith, Damon and Stefan observed the derelict building, bracing themselves for what was inside; their minds resting on the worst case scenario although they wished for the best.

"Can you hear any heart beats in there?" Faith asked, throwing open the boot of her car.

Damon chuckled to himself, "it doesn't quiet work like that" his voice trailed off as her noticed Faith tucking a stake into her back pocket.

For a few moments they stared at each other, Faith let out a breath before she thrust a stake towards him and handed another to Stefan.

Damon began sauntering towards the door, stopping for a moment he looked Stefan. 'Aren't you coming?' Damon kicked the door in, revealing a sea of black.

The triumvirate moved through the warehouse. Damon's perceptive eye leading the way followed by Faith's flashlight, neither of them had not seen any signs to suggest that anyone else was placed in the building.

As the three of them moved through the darkness Faith's mind began to wonder as to why there was so little back up. The support was probably where the girls where, meaning that the vampire had been expecting them to be found or that he had been set up, to kidnap 3 girls so that someone could observe how their rescue occurred.

Today was a day to hold back.

They manoeuvred through the building, avoiding the puddles of water, turning round the last corner they found themselves standing in front of an iron door, a rusted door knob placed in the centre.

Faith stood back and waited for one of the boys to do the honours, she slightly surprised when Stefan swung it open, two of them shuddering at the clang the door made upon impact. Faith adjusted her stake holding her breath as she entered the room.

The room was grimy, much like the rest of the building. Water dripped from the ceiling making somewhat large puddles in the patches of the room.

Bonnie, Elena and Alexis sat bound to 3 chairs in the centre of the room covered in dirt, hair matted, their bodies obviously tense to the point that Faith thought that they would snap. Their uneven breaths were the only sound in the room, yet they became silent when they realised that they were no longer in a sense alone. A darkly dressed man stood in the centre of the room, his had racking through his hair as he paced the length of the room, the vampire stopped and turned towards them.

It was unbearably quiet in the room, as those standing entered a staring match against their opponent. Faith let out a breath as he began to move towards Alexis.

Faith hadn't even had time to blink before she felt, the weight of the vampire on top of her, his hands placed tightly around her neck. Her small hands clawed at them for a moment, before she began to claw at his face. He let out a yelp momentarily distracted as she began to claw at his eye; Faith placed a firm foot in his stomach kicking him away from her. He slid to the other side of the room where Damon simply snapped his neck from behind him, the vampire fell to the ground, Damon standing over him and ripping his heart out for good measure.

It all seemed rather anti-climatic, finished in less than 2 minutes. Considering that things in Mystic Falls seemed to have a double agenda half the time, Faith half expected another eight vampires to jump out from behind them.

The 6 of them waited for any new additions to enter the room or for the dead vampire to suddenly start throwing punches. Obviously he wouldn't/ couldn't, with his heart removed yet but they still waited.

Stefan ran towards Elena pressing her face towards his in a sweet kiss before he began to untie her from the chair. Damon turning away from them he looked at Faith, something unrecognisable crossing his face as he watched Faith rush to untie Alexis.

He was intrigued by her, she had acted quickly although she had less hast in her actions, eerily calm in her movements almost as she expected them. Along with her seeming inability to die and her lack of fear towards himself, Damon decided that Faith was a problem.

"Your shoes are ruined".


End file.
